SCARRED - Part 4 (The SCARRED Series - Book 4) Read Free Page A

with a pair of three inch black heels and a light silver chain. She was feeling really good about herself after her session with Max and she was looking forward to telling Derek all about it.
    When the driver opened her door and she stepped out he asked her, “Would you like me to see you to the boat, Miss?”
    She looked across the little ramp that led to the slips. Derek’s yacht was lit up and the lights along the decking were shining brightly. The sun was just going down so it wasn’t fully dark yet. “Thank you, but no. I can take it from here,” she told him. She made her way to the wooden ramp and from there she could see that the driver was still standing next to the car watching her. She appreciated his diligence and she smiled and waved at him. He waved back as she was stepping onto Derek’s yacht.
    He wasn’t up top but she assumed that he would be down in the living quarters in the kitchen. She made her way down the steps and as she got to the bottom landing, the first thing she noticed was that it was dark down here. She could see a light coming from underneath the door of the kitchen, but that was the only one.
    “Derek?” She called out and waited.
    The only sounds were those of the water lapping up against the hull of the boat. She took a step further into the darkness, keeping her hand on the rail of the steps for security. She felt a little flutter of anxiety begin to rear its ugly head in the pit of her belly.
    “Derek!” She called out, louder this time.
    Still no answer, but somewhere to her right and below her, she heard a sound. It was like the shuffling of a shoe against the smooth wood of the floors of the boat. Her heart rate began to rise and the anxiety swelled up into her chest. She turned to head back up the stairs and that was when all of the lights went out, plunging her into darkness. She still had the railing in her hand and she started up. She’d only taken one step when she heard the low rumble of a man’s voice. She froze and willed herself to slow down her breathing and listen. She couldn’t hear what he said and she couldn’t even discern the tone or the pitch of it...it was just a rumble...a warning.
    Chloe took a slow, cautious step backwards and very quietly, she slipped off her heels. Then she waited...she heard him, moving towards her down the stairs. The backlight illuminated his shadow. All she could tell was that it was definitely a tall, broad-shouldered man. She let the idea that maybe it was Derek flit across her brain...but that not only didn’t make sense since he’d been expecting her, it was clouding her thinking.
    She needed to clear her mind and... Attack! She lunged forward with her fist out and threw it into his midsection with all her might. When he doubled forward with a grunt, she grabbed his arm and with a loud grunt and everything she had in her, she sent him sailing towards the floor. She heard him hit with a satisfying thump and “Ugh!” She retreated then, heading for the steps she grabbed the banister and when she was about halfway up she heard,
    “Chloe?” It was Derek’s pained voice, coming from the floor below her. Oh Shit! What did she do?
    “Derek?”
    “Yeah, it’s me. Why the hell did you hit me?”
    Chloe rushed back down the stairs and when her feet hit him she knelt down beside him. “Jesus, Derek! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”
    He tried to laugh, but it came out as more like a grunt. “I think you broke my ribs.”
    “Oh shit! Damn it! I’m so sorry. Why were you walking around in the dark?”
    “Help me sit up,” he said.
    She slid her hand behind his head and as she helped him lift to a sitting position, the lights blinked on and off once and then came back on. There was still only the light from underneath the kitchen door and the lights that shone down from above deck but it was enough that she could see his face. His right cheek was dark red where he’d hit the floor with it when she took him down. She’d